Sunday, May 18, 2014

Sushma Swaraj - Must you sulk????

The two pics are unrelated, but I wanted to share them. The magnificent door, based on M.F.Husain's most celebrated motif, has been especially crafted for his daughter Raeesa Husain's main door.

The second image captures the glamour and oomph of the grand Lahore Lit Fest, especially the lavish evening for invitees hosted by Sehyr and Nasim Saigol at their fabulous bungalow. I am with one of my all time favourite women, the writer Tehmina Durrani - bruised and beautiful, as she braves countless storms.

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This appeared in Mumbai Mirror yesterday.

Why women sulk…we get
it, Sushmaji

So… Sushma Swaraj has won by a staggering
lead. Or… has she? Well, she has won her seat convincingly, enough. But she has
lost her cool. Her core constituency expected better from her when she went
into that great big sulk, feeling slighted and snubbed by the BJP bosses. I
wish she hadn’t revealed her misgivings to the world. But now that she has
conclusively proved her worth to the top brass, will she please stop brooding
behind closed doors… and start lobbying for a plum cabinet post for herself (
Home, Finance, Defence, External Affairs)?
That’s what any man in her position would do after a win. Do it, Sushma!
For us! Here we were under the
impression that Sushmaji was not just another Behenji. She came across as
ruthless, as tough, as any of those men she routinely decimated during fiery
Parliamentary debates. Then look what happened to that tough façade ! Phut! Sushma
cracked … she behaved like…. like…. one of us! Us,ornery women who sulk! In public, at that! And why was
Sushma sulking? Because she felt she was being side-lined. Because she wasn’t
being given sufficient ‘bhav’. Because her mentor ( L.K.Advani) was also being
spurned. Because the two of them looked like abandoned members of a large joint
family. Which indeed, they were !
Abandoned and side-lined. Arrey…but why show it! Politics, like most things in
life, is about acting. Politicians are
not allowed to display real emotions ( only fake emotions allowed). Politics is
about strategy and stealth. And holding all your cards close to the chest. Had
Sushma shrewdly concealed her (legitimate) hurt, smiled broadly for the
cameras, and gone along happily to the Gandhinagar closed door summit, she
would have emerged stronger.Unfortunately,when she pulled a sour face and skipped
this key meeting, she showed her vulnerability and weakness. Worse, she paraded
her vanity and ego (“ How dare they do this to ME! Don’t they know who I am?”).
Big mistake.

Now the ball is in Namo’s court like never
before. Between him, Amit Shah, Nitin Gadkari and Rajnath Singh, they will
decide who gets what. Chances are Sushma may get left out in the cold. She may
not get a portfolio of her choice. Ditto for L.K. Advani.This will be Sushma’s
real test. How well she conducts herself when the prize distribution takes
place, will determine her political future. That’s the trouble with us women.
We let our hormones, our emotions get the better of us. We surrender to
sentimentality a bit too swiftly. Our faces mirror our feelings. Our eyes give
us away time and again. The cameras caught it all, as Sushma saw off a grim
faced Rajnath Singh and her expression told its own story (“All is well?” Ha!). This made way for speculation and
gossip at a very crucial time for the party bosses ( by then, the laddoos had
been ordered and the dholaks were out). What did Sushma gain by revealing her miffed state? Nothing. There’s a lesson in there for all of
us. But, of course, we’ll never learn it. We will make the same mistake over
and over again, and give the natural
advantage to adversaries out to demolish / diminish us. These persons can be
relatives ( siblings, mothers-in-law, husbands ), or others ( colleagues,
bosses, acquaintances). We sulk. They win. But what to do? Sulking is also
pretty therapeutic! Women feel so much better after a heavy-duty sulk!
Especially if they can be fooled into believing it has worked! And people are
so clever at doing just that. Women get ‘manaoed’ and ‘patoed’ so easily! A
few, sweet and insincere words of apology…a meaningless token gesture of
contriteness, a hug… a kiss… a gift. Bas! We become putty. We melt. We smile. We get had!

Sushma Swaraj is not us. She isn’t
EVERYWOMAN. Sushma is in a league of her own ( I would have gladly supported
her candidature had the BJP put her name up for the top job). But after these
sulking fits, I am seriously concerned. Fight back, Sushma! Play their own game
back to them. Right now, you are coming across as a ‘bechari’. But we all know
you are not a ‘bechari’. You have everything going for you –an impressive
personality, a powerful oratorical style that took your leader to the top, and
most importantly, years of experience as a seasoned politician. This is the
time to rise and shine. Prove your mettle as a person who leads from the front.
There will be many who will try and keep you down. Stay focused. Stay
aggressive.And demand that which is rightfully yours – a portfolio which utilizes
your key skills and dynamism. Anything less, will be a waste of a valuable
resource.

22 comments:

Sushma Swaraj should & hopefully will be given the external affairs ministry portfolio. It's all very well with Pakistan. But will she be able to converse in English to Cameroon & Obama if the need arises. Or will she need a traslator ? Her vibrant shero shayaris might well work for a duel with MMS in the parliament & we may even relish that. But while abroad ?Don't talk about L K Advani ! The old man is brooding & sulking visibly & aspiring to get a portfolio. I mean, it takes a hell of a lot of time for him to say a few words at this age. Okay, okay, he has been there from the beginning & has nurtured & mentored the party. Now is his time to gracefully give way to young & energetic persons, retire gracefully (which is not there in the dictionary of Indian politicians) & be a father figure & watch the performance of his children. No portfolio should be given to him to appease him. Never mind the sudden 'love' for him from the CONgress & the media who'd certainly take this opportunity to politicise & sensitise this issue of the BJP having 'ditched' the patriarch. It is about the country & swift performance & not about an individual. Just chill Advani. Even now you can continue your pastime of rath yatra if you so wish but at your own expense.

I hope and pray sushma swaraj reads this article and takes your words of wisdom seriously.(only a wise capricon can advice about how to use and seize opportunity).i loved the article ,felt happy I am fond of sushma swaraj,on that note a warm hug to u Maa De:)Your redlipstick is fab and as usual looking gorgeous with big happy smile on your face,iam sure u had a great time at the lit fest,your face reflects that.

M'am it takes courage for a woman to praise another woman that too in public! Thank you for showing us.Women have to support other strong and successful women to get ahead, otherwise the world will not be women friendly. We need more women rep in politics-then things will change.

It's now Modi and Amit Shah culture and old patriarch of B.J.P.have no role to play in it. It is as if old ICICI corporation getting dissolved and then merging with new venture ICICI Bank with no option.Namo Namo !

So Sushma Swaraj will need a traslator according to you while Manmohan Singh always needed a mouth, I think India can afford a translator rather. By the way you hatred towards BJP is making you insane recently you tweet on Rural Minister Late Gopinath Munde was disgraceful. One does not needs to go to Howard or Oxford to run the country Shobha one needs to have conviction.

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